Big sporting events are about to get more interesting – particularly if you have an interest in eSports. It’s been a long time coming, but eSports is becoming more mainstream with the increasing number of events that are becoming recognised. A growing number of games are being included in large, global and regional sporting events. The Asian Games are the latest to join the foray.

eSports has long been sidelined by mainstream sports and athletics cause of their perceived lack of “training” and “athleticism”. But that’s been changing in recent years. With the establishment of international tournaments like “The International” (TI), The World Cyber Games (WCG) and the Electronic Sports League (ESL), there has been more awareness cultivated of how eSports athletes train and how intense and precise each match can be.

The industry has scored another big win with PUBG Mobile being recognised as a medalled event at the upcoming Asian Games. The event, held once every four years, is recognised by the International Olympic Committee as the second largest event of its kind; only second to the Olympics itself. PUBG Mobile joins a list of elite games selected for the event.

PUBG Mobile has seen tremendous growth in the years since its launch. It has since spawned 14 new leagues and a cumulative prize pool of USD$15 million this year alone. It joins an exclusive list of games that have been recognised as medalled events for the upcoming Asian Games. As of now, the list consists of Arena of Valor Asian Games Version, DOTA 2, Dream Three Kingdoms 2, EA SPORTS FIFA branded soccer games, Hearthstone, League of Legends, and Street Fighter V.

The Asian Games will be taking place in Hangzhou, China from 10th to 25th September 2022. The upcoming games will mark the 19th Asian Games and the first to have eSports as recognised, medalled events.